Centovalli and the Pedemonte area

Continuing beyond the Vigezzo Valley towards Locarno, the route goes through spectacular scenery to the Centovalliand the Pedemonte area, north of Lake Maggiore and the Italian-Swiss border. 

The area owes its name (“Hundred Valleys”) to the innumerable valleys furrowing the rugged mountainsides; the wild beauty of the Centovalli area is dominated by great beech woods, rushing mountain streams and the spectacular bridges crossing them.

Villages like Tegna, Verscio and Borgnone still appear as they were in the past, with houses in rustic style and terraces climbing the steep mountainsides. The main settlement is Intragna, famous for its belltower (dating from 1775), the highest in the Ticino Canton.

Intragna also has the Regional Museum of the Centovalli and Pedemonte, which describes the land and its history in over thirty rooms with periodically updated exhibitions. Unrivalled for scenic interest is the train journey from Domodossola to Locarno, through the Vigezzo Valley and the Centovalli. 

The spectacular landscape is seen to best effect from the train, which crosses woods and steep mountainsides over superb iron or stone viaducts.